Art of the Valentine
by Ury Salunide
Summary: Ino hates the way her friendship with Sakura ended. It keeps her up at night for days, but eventually, she accepts it. A few lonely years pass by, and at the Chunin Exams, she is matched up against Sasuke and his Sharingan. When she uses her Mind Body Switch Technique, unexpected results occur, and she is given a second chance at friendship with Sakura—trapped in Sasuke's body.
1. Brain Chemistry

"From this day forward, we're rivals."

Sakura's words echoed through Ino's mind. A solemn determination was on the former outcast's face. Ino's twisted into perpetual shock and disbelief. Sasuke wasn't important to her. Her friendship with Sakura went far beyond whatever she thought of him. When those girls said everyone liked Sasuke and she didn't disagree, it didn't mean anything more. Liking him wasn't important. These thoughts bombarded her all at once. If only she could find the words. She tried to reach forward, but all she felt was Sakura getting further away with every second. _Say something,_ she pleaded with herself, _anything!_

Even if she could, Sakura's back was already turned. Finally, Ino was able to reach forward. "Sakura-chan, don't," she said, her voice too small. She grabbed around her outstretched hand to try and stop it from shaking.

"Forget about her," one of the nearby girls said.

"Yeah," another said, "she's an idiot. Like she could ever get Sasuke-kun."

The girls laughed.

They were wrong. Sakura was admirable. She realized almost instantly that to set herself apart from the other girls she had to go off on her own. To sit in the comfort of their group and pine over him wasn't going to win his heart. At least, this was the only rationalization Ino could tell herself to ease the pain.

Ino laid awake for hours, her thoughts constantly looping with "if only this" and "if only that." If only she could have said this or done that. Her young mind filled with sadness and anger as she thought about what she'd say to Sakura in both positive and negative scenarios. After a couple hours of turning on each side again and again, she told herself that in the morning Sakura would come to her senses and everything would go back to normal.

They stood before the tree where they had tied their bond with a ribbon. There was no way Sakura could ignore that. There was no way Sakura would hurt Ino here. There was no way they couldn't remain friends.

Did Ino hear what she thought she did?

"Go away, pig," Sakura said. She crossed her arms, shut her eyes, and turned her head. "I told you, didn't I? We're rivals now."

Ino trembled, feeling like she was about to cry. After all she had done for Sakura, this is how she was treated? She never expected anything in return but Sakura's love. Even that she never really expected. She wasn't sure why she had gone out of her way for the other girl, but she did, and they had been happy together. Was it pity? The right thing to do? Or was she just a kind person who wanted to be everyone's friend? It didn't matter. Right now, there was a pain in her chest like she had never felt before, and all because of a boy who meant nothing to her. Yet, it felt too late to say that. She couldn't stop her brows from narrowing. No, it was because she showed affection to this girl when none other would. "I'll crush you and that ugly forehead of yours," Ino said. Before Sakura could see her tears, Ino turned her back and walked away.

"Ino. Wait."

She stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn back.

"You're on."

It was just a game to her. She didn't care about anything but herself and her desire to have Sasuke.

Ino wiped her eyes with her forearm then created more distance between herself and Sakura.

She told herself it wasn't her fault and to forget about that trash. Even if she hadn't said what she wanted to, there was no reason that she should have had to. With one last mental attempt to reach for Sakura's hand, Ino locked her heart away. From that day on, she focused on her appearance. Now, she had only one goal: to outdo Sakura and become Sasuke's girlfriend—no, more than that—to become the unquestionably prettiest girl in Konoha and have Sakura eat her own words.

Though she continued down that path, even with the passing of years and the fights that fueled their rivalry, Ino could not bring herself to dislike Sakura, never mind hate her. Whenever she looked at her, she saw that little girl without a shoulder to cry on and had to believe this was just her way to prove she could be strong on her own. The new words of conflict never tasted bitter; however, the memories they brought did. She couldn't understand why it made her stomach hurt, or why she still wanted to be her friend. These facts, she would not express and she started to forget how it felt to even have someone to care for. And one day, Ino looked around and realized that, for one reason or another, everyone was gone.

It didn't matter, she told herself and put in her earrings, brushed her long hair and tied it up. It didn't matter that Sakura was placed on a team with Sasuke, either. It didn't matter that people gave her nasty looks and she'd glare and snap at them. They were jealous, and she knew in her heart that she was better than Sakura in every way. She wondered if Sakura thought the same about her.

And when she saw Sakura fighting for her life in the Forest of Death, she could do nothing but shake. All those conflicting emotions disappeared, and she only wanted to help her, but the fear wouldn't allow it. She watched as Sakura pushed herself past her limits, clawing for survival, even sacrificing the hair she had grown for so long, and Ino knew she had been right about her. Sakura had grown into what Ino had always seen in her: someone with both a kind and strong heart—someone who would protect others, as Ino had once protected her. Seeing this person, Ino could almost remember who she herself once was.

Ino shut her eyes and took in a deep breath. "Alright, Shikamaru," she said, "let's help them." Even if it cost her life, she wasn't going to let herself be surpassed, and she'd protect Sakura once again.

And then the strangest twist of fate happened. Ino found herself matched up in the elimination rounds of the Chunin Exams against Sasuke.

 _If I defeat Sasuke-kun here_ , she thought, _he may resent me._ On the other hand, if she didn't try her all, she would look weak, and she doubted Sasuke wanted a weak girlfriend. She sent Sakura, who was up a level where the matches were observed, a glance. With a smirk, she shut her eyes. Alright. Just wait for it to begin, and give it your all.

 _"Go all out from the start,"_ Shikamaru had advised her. What could Sasuke possibly do? All she needed was to change bodies with him for a mere few seconds so she could make him say the words "I give up."

"Alright, you may begin," the sickly jounin said.

As Ino threw her hands up and activated the Mind Body Switch Technique, Sasuke's eyes flashed red. Whatever happened, it didn't seem to matter. She saw her body across the arena. Oddly, it was still standing. She expected to be rubbing her head after the match was finished. Even more oddly, though, was that Sasuke didn't seem to show any resistance whatsoever. Oh well. She smirked and said, "I, Uchiha Sasuke, give up."

Everyone was quiet. It must have seemed anticlimactic, but that's what happens when you fight a Yamanaka one on one. She glanced up at Shikamaru who nodded.

All she had to do now was dispel the jutsu. But, it wasn't working. Ino felt her eyes widen as she watched her body move forward. It looked like a zombie shambling towards her. Then it collapsed. Asuma-sensei appeared next to her body. She tried again and again to dispel the jutsu, but still, nothing. The jounins started to gather as medical ninjas came out. Ino could only stand there in horror as she watched her body being carried off.

"She won the match," Asuma said, "and she'll be able to compete in her real one in a month. No matter what way you look at it, she's the victor."

"Agreed," the Hokage said.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, running up to his side along with Sakura, "why the hell did you quit?!"

"Did you realize you were too injured to fight?" Sakura asked, tilting her head. The concern in her voice and compassion in her eyes was like nothing she had experienced from anyone but her parents. She felt her heart—or rather, Sasuke's—beating a mile a minute.

Ino could talk to Sakura as if she were Sasuke. Everything bad between them was gone. It was like a fresh start that already had unconditional love as a foundation. Sakura was looking at her with the love she had always wanted to receive from the girl. No, it was more, and this body was reacting differently than her own. She felt it wanting to get closer to Sakura. She knew the whole thing was wrong anyhow, but this feeling was surreal. Did Sasuke always feel this way for her? If so, Ino had already lost. If not, then she could only think that her feelings within this body had been transformed. She was attracted to Sakura. It felt strange, or rather, her mind thought it strange, like she had lost a part of herself. She was straight. Right? That answer didn't matter. She found herself caring less and less about it and only wanting to swim continuously in this wave of pure emotion.

"That's right, Sakura-chan," she said. Did he call her that? Whatever. Now he did. "Thanks for worrying about me."

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked. He cupped his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. "Did you bump your head or something?"

Ino was dumbfounded. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"You're just acting a lot nicer than usual, s'all," he said.

Was Sasuke a jerk to them or something?

"Leave him alone," Sakura said, shoving Naruto on the shoulder. It was so light he didn't even budge an inch. "Winning isn't everything, right, Sasuke-kun? I'm just glad you're okay." Her face turned red. She tried to hide it by tilting her head down, but she couldn't stop glancing up into Sasuke's eyes. Since when was she _this_ cute?

"Sakura-chan..." Ino said. She couldn't help herself. Hugging Sakura was the only way she was going to get some release from the gravity she felt between them.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said. She felt stiff in Sasuke's arms. Then she loosened up and wrapped hers around his body.

"Wow, okay, I'm getting a doctor," Naruto said.

Ino tried to cut their embrace, but Sakura held on. "Please," she said, "don't let go. I've wanted to hug you for so long."

She knew those words weren't meant for her, but at the same time, they weren't meant for Sasuke, either. He wasn't really the one hugging her, after all. This didn't matter, either. Any guilt she felt was instantly pushed back by the bliss of being in Sakura's arms.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked. She laid her head against his shoulder. "Do you finally have feelings for me?"

Okay, this was too much. She shouldn't answer something like that for him. "Um, what do you think...?" she asked.

Sakura stepped back. She looked at the ground, scratching her temple with a finger. "Jeesh, I really wish you had just said 'yes,' " she said. Her face was still bright red and her teeth were showing a bit. She glanced up at Ino. So adorable.

"Uh, you two," the sickly jounin said. He coughed into his fist. "Can you please clear out for the next match?"


	2. Grey, Pink, Loud, and Dull

Ino had hardly made her way up the second level to the observation area when Kakashi stopped her.

"I have some questions," the man said. Without tilting his head, he looked down at her with that one eye. "Come with me."

Ino found it odd that, despite little more than one eye visible, he didn't look intimidating. He seemed mysterious and distant, like a harmless outsider. Perhaps it was the lazy look in that one eye. However, the fact that he wanted to talk in private sent a chill down her spine. She felt something coming up her throat and tried to hold it down, but she could not respond until she gulped. How would Sasuke respond? It didn't matter. She was so nervous that there was no way she could appear natural. "O-okay," she said.

Sakura looked confused and worried.

Ino followed behind Kakashi, staring at the swirl and red symbol on the back of his jacket that represented his status as a jounin. It reminded her of those eyes she had seen before getting trapped in Sasuke's body. This man was Kakashi of the Sharingan, and she had heard tales about him. Surely, they were blown out of proportion. But after what she had seen in the Forest of Death, now she wasn't so certain. Jounin were terrifying. Heat hit Ino and she felt her palms getting damp.

Kakashi put his hands into his pockets and stopped. Ino glanced over her shoulder to see Naruto and Sakura looking at them from a distance. They turned away. Kakashi faced Ino, watching her listlessly. Finally, he asked, "What happened down there?"

What did he want to know? Why Sasuke had given up? What happened to her? No, he wanted the truth. Plain and simple. She adverted her eyes. "I have to protect my clan's secrets," she said, "but the jutsu won't release."

That eye never wavered, and from behind the mask, his words seemed to come from a ghost. "Your honesty is appreciated," he said, "I'll tell your sensei and only those who need to know. You should inform your teammates that you are okay."

Of course, this man was a jounin. He knew about her technique, and must have been able to tell that she did not move or act like Sasuke. Hugging Sakura was the wrong thing to do. Or, maybe, it had been right. "Thank you," she said, "hopefully my father will know what to do."

"Let's hope, for your sake, and my pupil's," he said. After a chilling silence, he asked, "Is he with you?"

Ino looked down and felt her shoulders tremble. "I don't know what has become of him," she said. Pressure came to one of her shoulders. She lifted her head to see the jounin on one knee before her.

"These things happen," he said, "it's not your fault. In the meantime, don't tell Naruto or Sakura. Especially Sakura. She doesn't need to be worrying about Sasuke before her match."

"Thanks, sensei. I understand."

He stood up, gave a two-finger wave good-bye, then disappeared.

Ino took in a deep breath then began her walk back towards Naruto and Sakura. Her legs felt heavy. Ninjas were supposed to deceive, and she was just told to by an adult, but still...

Sakura turned to her, leaning forward with her hands on the railing to help look past Naruto. Her cheeks were red, and Ino's heart fluttered. Then she sighed. Sakura was so infatuated with him.

"Chewed out 'cause you gave up like a wimp?" Naruto asked. He looked more disappointed in Sasuke than she thought he had any right to be. Her impression was that he didn't like Sasuke, so why did he care so much? Shouldn't he be overjoyed or something? Well, they were a unit.

Sakura slapped him across the back of the head, sending green knives his way. "Naruto!" she said.

"Hey," Naruto said, putting a hand to the spot she hit and turning. "Sakura-chan..."

Sakura was still throwing knives. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?!" she said.

He looked scared and took a step back. "C-c'mon, Sakura, aren't we...friends?" he asked.

Ino felt her mouth go slack and felt exasperated. Jeesh, this team really was a mess. Did Naruto have a thing for Sakura, too? Did she know? This was going to be more complicated than she had hoped.

On a dime, Sakura's face changed back to cute shyness. "S-so, Sasuke-kun, what did Kakashi-sensei say?" she asked.

Ino wanted to move around Naruto to get closer to Sakura, but worried if that would be too obvious, or something Sasuke wouldn't do. Maybe it'd make Naruto jealous, too. "He wanted to know if I knew anything about what happened to... Ino," she said.

Sakura's eyes fell. Ino tilted her head. "What'd you tell him?" Sakura asked.

Ino shook her head. "I don't know what happened to her," she said. It was half true.

Sakura looked at the ground a level below them. "I hope she's okay," she said.

Ino felt her eyes go wide. Of course Sakura didn't want anything bad to happen to her, so why was she so overjoyed? Maybe she had assumed that, despite her happiness at Sasuke being okay, she'd still resent Ino for beating him and act coldly about her. Or maybe she never expected to be in a position to experience affection from Sakura again. Why couldn't they have just remained friends? Now, she wanted more, and that was never going to happen. She could only pray that these feelings for Sakura would go away when she got her body back. But that was neither here nor there. She wanted to hear more kind words from Sakura, but was scared to say something wrong.

"You two used to be close, right?" Ino said. She feared Sakura's answer. After so long, she had assumed Sakura had just been a brat. Maybe her initial thought that Sakura wanted to prove her own worth was correct, or perhaps the years of separation had created regret. Either case would be okay.

"Yeah," Sakura said. A small smile took her lips. She looked to be reminiscing. "We might be rivals now..." Her face turned red, and she glanced at Ino. "Well, maybe not anymore... Eh, anyway, I still consider her my best friend. Our rivalry was just a part of it."

Ino's heart pounded and she stared, dumbfounded. It was her who was in regret. She should have chased after Sakura all those years ago and told her how she really felt. Her eyes became heavy. There was no way she could cry now. She turned away. "I need to use the restroom," she said.

The long walk amongst concrete walls was grueling. She had to walk past many of the other contestants and their sensei, and the Third Hokage. Luckily the next match had already begun and most people paid her no mind. When she came up to Shikamaru and Choji (Asuma was not to be seen—he must have still been with Ino's body) she pulled down on her ear and put on a stern face for Shikamaru, then nodded towards the stairwell. He looked confused and shrugged. After she was a distance away, she glanced back to see Shikamaru slowly following after her, hands in pockets. His face didn't know if he was annoyed, confused, or had figured it out.

She'd never been in the boys' bathroom before, and this was certainly never how she would have imagined she'd get into one.

"What's going on?" Shikamaru asked, "you mad or something?"

That dull expression of his always pissed her off. He should have been grinning or something. She had defeated Uchiha Sasuke. But, despite that, she had grown to like Shikamaru. He was a nice guy, and how could she dislike someone who motivated her to do the right thing?

"Shikamaru, it's me, Ino," she said, "it seems I got myself stuck in quite the situation..."

Shikamaru rubbed the side of his neck, looking her over. Then he smirked and let out a laugh.

That, Ino was not expecting. "What the hell?! This is really messed up!" Ino said.

"That's why it's so funny. I mean, _you_ of all people stuck in Sasuke's body?"

"What the hell are you implying?" Ino asked. She felt her eyes twitching.

"Very scary, Sasuke," Shikamaru said. His face went dull again, and she kind of wanted to punch it more. "Just kidding. But seriously, how are you going to function like this?"

Ino's heart sank and she looked away from her comrade. "I've needed to use the toilet for like ten minutes now, but I'm too scared," she said.

"Well, you better get used to it quickly, then."

"Don't tell anyone but Choji."

Shikamaru nodded.

"Any idea what this means for us?" Ino asked.

Shikamaru glanced up and scratched his cheek. "Once things are settled, I think it means you need to talk to quite a few people," he said.

So, not even this genius had any ideas.


	3. Sasuke and Sakura?

"What are you trying to prove, Sakura?" Ino asked to herself. Her eyes darted to Naruto, who was cheering. Couldn't he see that she was struggling? No, more than that... She was suffering, but still, he cheered. He cheered like he was oblivious to the pain his teammate was suffering. And despite everything, in a brief moment of clarity, she turned and smiled towards Naruto, instead of watching out for that next punch. But it wasn't any punch. He grabbed her by the mouth. And Ino, with her new eyes, could see the life being drained from her.  
"Sensei!" Ino shouted.  
Kakashi glanced at her. "Sasuke... You know this is the nature of ninja battles."  
Naruto agreed. He just shut his eyes, turned his head, and smiled at "Sasuke." "Believe in her," he said.  
But Ino had seen much. She had seen people killed, had tried to catch thieves, but never had she expected to see a friend tortured in a skirmish match. It didn't make sense. Her sensei, Asuma, always taught them that teamwork was number one. If the team was to fall, then back out. So why try so hard as an individual?  
Ino leapt atop the ledge. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the...16...maybe 20-year-old man lay atop her friend. Every second he held her down raised her boiling blood. She had had enough. "Get the hell off of her!" Sasuke yelled.  
Naruto looked at her like she was a freak, but Kakashi seemed disinterested, as if he expected this outcome.  
Her feet hit the concrete railing hard. A dust surrounded her; like an indication to her newfound power. She only then understood how lucky she was to be matched up against a nearly dead Sasuke.  
Her body, brimming with power and direction, leapt toward the piece of garbabe who was grinning over Sakura's little body. With a swift punch, she knocked him away and heard the toothpick hit the floor before the judge said, "Do to disqualification, Yoroi is victorious. Also, we are sad to say, but Uchiha..."  
However, before he could complete his thought, a pale-white looking Jounin whispered into his ear.  
Soon after, he said, "Only Haruno Sakura will be disqualified."  
The Hokage continued, "If there is another blemish on Uchiha Sasuke's record, we will have to disqualify him."  
Since the crowd was limited, and many seemed to feel for the girl, not many protested.  
Ino appeared before Sakura and cradled her in her arms. The weary girl's eyes slowly fluttered. After a moment, Ino was entranced by the emerald orbs.  
"Sasuke..." Sakura said, only audible to "Sasuke."  
Tears were running down Sasuke's face. "I was so worried," she said.  
"You were?" Sakura, said, looking up. Her eyes were barely open, and she struggling to grasp one of his hands. "I'm so happy."  
"I am too... So happy you're safe," Ino said, with a smile.  
She received one in return.


End file.
